Description
Artist bio:
Mobeen Ansari is a photographer, filmmaker, artist & author based in Islamabad, Pakistan. After attaining his BFA degree from the National College of Arts, he started working in the field, telling stories of Pakistan & its people, and promoting a positive & poetic image of his country through his work.
Ansari has published two photography books. His first one, ‘Dharkan: The Heartbeat of a Nation’, features portraits of iconic people of Pakistan from all walks of life. His second book, called ‘White in the Flag’ is based on the lives & festivities of religious minorities in Pakistan; He has also produced two silent films; ‘Hellhole’ is a black and white short film, based on the life of a sanitation worker, and ‘Lady of the Emerald Scarf’ is based on the life of Aziza, a carpet maker in Hunza.
He has been invited to exhibit and speak at many forums in Pakistan & around the world, namely in China, Italy, Iraq, Qatar, and across the United States & the United Arab Emirates.
Awards:
- Excellence in Photography Award from Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid International Photography Award, Dubai, UAE, September 2019
- Awarded as one of the world’s leading photojournalists at Xposure International Photography Festival, September 2019
About the photo:
The Kalash community is an indigenous group in Kalash valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Bibi Kai is a hotelier and one of the most prominent faces in the valley, and also one of the most photographed. I myself visited the valley only to photograph her after seeing her portraits done by many renowned photographers around the world.
I took her photographs over a period of six years, and she adopted me as her grandson. For me, this experience was a true example of art and photography transcending all barriers, especially since she and I spoke different languages.
